


Memories of Violet and Gold

by WordsWhisperInTheDark



Series: The Archive [2]
Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mako and Haru (brief appearance), Other Free! children mentioned, Thinking back and looking forward, how many times must Rei use the words 'logical' and 'illogical'??, minor spoilers I guess??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:14:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23415112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsWhisperInTheDark/pseuds/WordsWhisperInTheDark
Summary: (Completed April 19 2019)Rereading this made me cringe - so cheesy! 😅
Relationships: Hazuki Nagisa/Ryuugazaki Rei
Series: The Archive [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683964
Kudos: 11





	Memories of Violet and Gold

_The first soft rays of sunlight warm Rei's face through the lighthouse's opaque glass. The ocean beyond is calm, dark amethyst waves gently lapping against the beach. Nagisa’s head rests against Rei's shoulder, his sun-kissed curls softly tickling Rei's skin. Makoto and Haru sleep across from them, in a similar position. Their heads lean against each other, dark navy mixing with deep olive green. It is quiet; peaceful; nothing like the night before._

_~_

_An icy feeling spread through Rei’s body as the ocean waves clawed at him. His throat was raw from yelling and the ocean's saltiness. He couldn't breathe, couldn't see. He was going to die, in the ocean, alone, doing something completely illogical._

_Then he saw Makoto. Saw that mop of moss brown, and those soft, earthy eyes. Relief was brief, for Makoto froze too, fear drowning him. Rei blacked out then, the waves crashing like loud symbols above him._

_When he awoke, Nagisa was leaning over him. His wet hair hung over his face, eyes filled with concern… and tears? Small hands tightened their grip on Rei's shoulders, as he tried to sit up. His body felt like lead._

_“Rei-chan! You're okay!”_

_Nagisa wrapped his arms around Rei, holding him tightly. Rei only realised how cold he was when he could feel Nagisa's warmth barely seeping into him. The ocean was still foaming and thrashing, like a rabid beast. The water looked black and sinister._

We must have ended up on one of the islands away from camp _, Rei thought as he looked around. Any sign of the way back to safety was lost to the churning waves and oppressing skies._

_“Ah! What happened to Makoto-senpai?! Is he OK?”_

_Nagisa pulled away, and Rei lamented the loss of heat._

_“Don't worry, Haru-chan is with him… Somewhere. I'm sure they're safe!”_

_Tears began to form as Rei choked out the words, “I'm sorry for getting you into this.”_

_Nagisa had walked away to retrieve the kickboard that had washed ashore. When he turned back, his face was soft. He shook his head gently._

_“It's alright. We better go find Mako-chan and Haru-chan.”_

_A gentle hand, surprisingly firm, helped Rei to his feet. Nagisa was visibly shivering, goosebumps clear on the smaller boy's skin. Rei looked away with guilt, making his mind focus on the task at hand._

_“Well, I think we should walk around the outskirts of the island, keeping close to the cliffs,” Rei suggested. It seemed the most logical idea that the older pair of swimmers would not have gone far._

_Nagisa smiled and nodded his head enthusiastically. “Then let's go, Rei-chan!”_

_It wasn't long until Nagisa spotted Makoto and Haru. “Mako-chan! Haru-chan! Over here!“ His waved his hand wildly in the air._

_“Ah Nagisa, Rei! I'm glad you're both alright.” Makoto smiled gently._

_Before Rei could even apologise Haru was walking towards him, anger radiating off the older boy._

_“How could you go out on your own?! Makoto almost drowned!”_

_“Ah wait, Haru. I'm alright, you don't have to get angry at Rei.”_

_The lack of any contempt in Makoto's green eyes made Rei feel even more guilty._

_Eventually, they decided to venture inside the ominous lighthouse, keeping close together to maintain heat. After finding food and starting a fire, Nagisa tried to keep the atmosphere light and cheerful. However, perhaps a poor decision on Rei's part, the disaster in the ocean was brought up again. Haru's eyes burned like the hottest flames when Rei asked why Makoto froze, but Rei couldn't help it. It had been obvious Makoto had had a traumatic experience with the ocean. Yet, his decision to save Rei despite that seemed completely illogical._

_“We're a team, Rei. I couldn't abandon you even though I was afraid.”_

_That night, those words echoed through Rei's head. That night, the stars surrounding them never seemed more beautiful._

_~_

_They swim back to camp in much calmer waters with the sun making aquamarine waves sparkle. They immediately collapse on the sand, the events of the previous night draining their energy. Yet, a bond has been forged. It is an incident not spoken of, a night lost to the sea and the stars._

* * *

“Rei-chan!” Rei's eyes opened to meet dark orchid orbs. 

They were alone on the train carriage, wind from the small windows ruffling Nagisa's hair. It turned into sand whenever the sun was captured in his golden locks. 

“I was just thinking of our first training camp…where you had to save me.”

Guilt clutches at Rei's chest as the memories resurface. In an attempt to stop being a burden to the others he almost got them killed. 

“Ah! My first kiss with Rei-chan!” Nagisa's smile was playful and even after all these years, his teasing still made Rei blush. 

“Th-that didn't count! I wasn't even conscious!” 

Nagisa laughed, a bright clear sound. “But wasn't it fun! We got to spend the night on a deserted island with Haru-chan and Mako-chan!” 

Rei sighed. _Of course those are the parts he's focusing on_. 

Nagisa hopped off his seat to spin around the carriage. 

“Nagisa-kun, please sit down. You're going to hurt yourself,” Rei said, exasperated at the blond's antics. 

“Aww but Rei-chan,” Nagisa whined, “I'm too excited! We're finally going back to Iwatobi for the whole summer!” 

Rei had to agree with that. Having started college, both he and Nagisa hadn't been able to visit their hometown that much. 

“Also, everyone's going to be there! Mako-chan and Haru-chan; Gou-chan, Rin-chan and Sou-chan; Ai-chan and Momo-chan…” 

Nagisa continued to list off the rest of their friends, including those they met in their final year of high school. He also mentioned their swim club juniors, who would be entering their second year. Rei smiled in amusement. 

Suddenly, the train shuddered. Nagisa stumbled, managing to place his hands against the window to stop himself from squishing Rei. 

“See? What did I tell you? You almost hurt-”

Rei didn't complete his sentence, for Nagisa's face was practically inches away from Rei's own. Pushing up his glasses, Rei looked away, blush heating his cheeks. 

“Huh? Rei-chan?” Are you _embarrassed_?” Nagisa was smirking, and that meant he was up to something. 

“Of course not! Considering our current relationship, it would be illogical for me to be flustered over our proximity!” 

Nagisa grinned, and promptly plopped himself directly onto Rei's lap. “This is OK then, right?” 

Rei's eyes widened. Fortunately, they were alone, otherwise they would definitely get stared at. 

Then, Nagisa suddenly became serious. “You know, Rei-chan? I was terrified that night. You had gone off on your own, and Mako-chan followed you. Then Haru-chan and I went to rescue you both and suddenly we were separated. When we managed to get to shore, I was so worried - you weren't breathing. I didn't even know if I was doing everything correctly, I just needed you alive. And even though Haru-chan scolded you for putting Mako-chan in danger, he was worried for you too. We all were.” 

Rei looked at Nagisa, at the sadness in his eyes, and the guilt surged forward again. They never actually spoke about what happened in that first year together, so it was surprising that Nagisa was expressing those feelings now. 

“But when we went outside, and we could see all the stars, I knew it would all be alright. No matter what would happen, we'd be OK. Even when all that stuff in our second year happened, I knew it would turn out OK. Because we're a team!” 

Rei chuckled softly. His life definitely became more eventful when he joined the swim club. Soon it became obvious that he was no longer just participating in a sport, he was becoming part of a family. When that family had to split apart - Makoto and Haru leaving for college in Tokyo - it was difficult to bear. Yet, Nagisa was still by his side, as he always would be, so Rei had nothing to worry about.

“Our final year was fun too, right Rei-chan? We got to continue the swim club with our new members! And you know…” Nagisa looked down shyly. 

Rei reached up to cup Nagisa's face in his hands. They'd been through so much together since that time. Their relationship had developed and changed gradually over the years and now here they were, alone in a train carriage just like in high school. However, the scene was not the same. 

Nagisa slowly leaned forward until their lips touched, the action soft. His hands moved to Rei's shoulders to steady himself, and Rei wound his fingers through Nagisa's hair, his other hand gently encircling Nagisa's waist. The older boy was still smaller, but had a broader frame. Nagisa's lips tasted like the strawberry parfait they shared in Tokyo a few hours ago. 

Nagisa pulled away and Rei silently mourned the loss of contact. The setting sun was turning Nagisa's hair to rich honey, framing his face in warm light. 

“You're beautiful, Nagisa,” Rei breathed. 

Nagisa's hands wandered up to Rei's face, tracing the red that framed dark, violet eyes. “I love you too, Rei-chan.” 

_Passengers, the train is about to arrive at Iwatobi Station. Please prepare to exit, thank you._

The two smiled at each other, foreheads touching gently. They were almost home. The place where everything started. The place they would always return to. The place where summer smelled of chlorine, and where summer was filled with tears and laughter. Iwatobi Town, the place where the ocean and sky were eternally blue. 

**Author's Note:**

> (Completed April 19 2019)
> 
> Rereading this made me cringe - so cheesy! 😅


End file.
